Super Mom

Super Mom--I am not!  The first step is being able to admit it right?  I'm not sure that I'll ever be able to shake the desire though.  I read blogs, look at Facebook posts, and see articles about mom's who can do it all.  They have multiple kids, are super-crafters, extremely organized, have a perfectly clean home and a home cooked meal every night.  I REALLY want to do all of that.....I just can't.

I'm the queen of TRYING to do it all though.  I can do just about anything I put my mind to, and for some reason I feel like I should.  I'm really good at starting projects only to complete them 1/2 way before giving in.  I always say I'll finish later, but I usually don't.  How do you break that cycle?

Well, I've decided that I should work on perfecting one thing at a time.  Looking at our jam-packed calendar I realize the most important thing each day is dinner time--or at least it should be :)  I've never been much of a chef, in fact I don't really like to cook.  I could bake all day, but cooking regular food is not my cup of tea.  Since we can't survive on cupcakes and cookies I probably need to start making real meals!

What better way to do this than to dive head-first into Pinterest?!  Where were we before that wonderful website?!  I have tried a handful of recipes from there and they've been really good.  I think I've only tried 2 that we didn't like.  So I'm going to set a goal for myself.  I'm going to try 3 new recipes a week, from Pinterest or other sites.  I have a board devoted to "Food Stuff" as I call it so I'll be adding to that as I'm looking for recipes. I'm also open to suggestions on ways to dive into cooking.  What tips and tricks do you have?

Are you guilty of trying to be Super Mom?  How do you handle all of the tasks without cracking?

Vacay time!

Doesn't the thought of taking a vacation just put a big smile on your face?!  It works for me every time.  Maybe its because we don't take too many vacations.

With 3 little kids its a bit more difficult to plan time away.  Not only do we have to find someone willing to watch our 3 rug-rats for the whole time, but the thought of being away from them for days on end makes me sad.  I think we've taken 3 vacations away from our kids in the last 7 year.  Twice for a 3 day weekend, and once for almost a full week--that about killed me!  I remember the week leading up to it I cried daily.   I vowed that I wasn't going so my husband should start looking for someone else to go on this vacation we planned with 2 other couples :)  Obviously that didn't happen and I ended up going.  It was fun and sad all at the same time.  That was when we only had 1 child and he was about 2 1/2 years old.  If I allowed myself to think about it too long, I felt like we were abandoning him.  I felt so guilty for leaving him.  I still feel that way every time we leave the kids.  I'm convinced that won't go away until they're much older and grown up a bit.  Because of that we only tend to take a vacation every few years.

Now we're planning another vacation.  Its going to be another short one, but a well deserved one.

When it comes to planning the vacation I could drive anyone crazy.  I over-analyze every little detail. I'll spend days relentlessly looking over hotels to try and find the perfect one.  Then once I think I've found it I second guess myself and start the search over again.  I'm always looking for the best deal, but I'm not generally willing to compromise quality and comfort to save a few bucks.  It can take me a month or longer to plan a 3 or 4 day weekend trip.  Many times I don't actually make reservations until a week or 2 weeks before!  I think I booked our honeymoon just 3 weeks before we left!

This time we're actually flying so it does require a bit more advanced planning.  Thankfully we're going to a place that offers flights almost hourly--Las Vegas!  We've both been once, many years ago, with family.  We'll be there for 3 full days so I'm going to try and pack those days full.  I definitely want to go to the Hoover Dam, something I've seen but the hubby hasn't.  I want to take our time and walk up and down the strip stopping to see anything and everything our hearts desire.  We'll make a trip to Freemont Strip for the light show.  And the rest of the time is up in the air.  I'm excited to get away and have some things planned but still allow for last minute decisions.

Do you take vacations without the kids?  Have you been to Las Vegas?  What attractions are a must see on your list?  What hotels would you recommend?